The partners at SophiaLex
The partners at SophiaLex bring together complementary experience in business law, litigation, competition law, regulatory matters and Franco-Italian advisory services. The firm operates in French, Italian and English. Where necessary, it draws on a network of professionals in France and Italy.
sophie@sophialex.fr
After working for two years at the French General Secretariat for European Affairs (SGAE), then at Editions Juridiques Lefebvre and finally for the France Défi and Euro Défi networks, Sophie Segond became an attorney and was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1992 and the Milan Bar in 2009.
As an accredited mediator, she primarily advises Italian companies wishing to establish and expand their operations in France.
She handles all their business law needs as part of a full legal service (contracts, commercial leases, employment law, debt recovery, etc.), including litigation.
Sophie Segond also supports French companies with their projects in Italy, liaising with relevant Italian professionals where the matter requires it.
Of Italian origin and with extensive professional experience gained in both France and Italy, she helps her clients to understand not only the applicable legal rules, but also the differences in business practices and culture between the two countries.
ludovica@sophialex.fr
Holder of a Master 2 from the University of Paris X and a Laurea Magistrale a Ciclo Unico awarded by the University of Bologna in Italy, Ludovica Lama has been a member of the Paris Bar since 2023.
She specialises primarily in business law, advising French and international clients – particularly Italian ones – and assists both foreign companies wishing to establish a presence in France and those already established with the day-to-day management of their legal affairs.
Her practice covers all areas of business law, in both advisory and litigation contexts: negotiating and drafting commercial contracts (employment contracts, commercial leases, service agreements, commercial agent contracts, etc.), managing debt recovery, and handling commercial, civil and employment tribunal disputes, amongst others.
Her dual French and Italian legal training enables her to adopt a comparative and pragmatic approach, facilitating foreign clients’ understanding of French law and acting as a valuable point of contact for Italian companies in France.
jean-paul@sophialex.fr
A former senior French and European civil servant, having held several key posts in Paris and Brussels, Jean-Paul Tran-Thiet joined the Paris Bar in 1991 as an attorney specialising in European and competition law.
Jean-Paul Tran-Thiet advises on cases involving economic law, competition law, regulatory matters and litigation, at both the French and European levels.
His career has involved working on international negotiations, proceedings before French and European authorities and courts, and cases involving private or public companies facing significant economic and institutional challenges.
In particular, he advises companies on defining and implementing their legal strategy, in their dealings with public and regulatory authorities, and in the management of complex litigation.
andrea.vitale@avvocativitale.it
A member of the Milan and Paris Bar Associations, Andrea Vitale is also authorised to appear before the Italian Court of Cassation and other Italian high courts. He is a lecturer in Food Law, Business Economics, Fundamentals of Food Legislation and Workplace Safety at the Faculty of Food and Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Agronomy at the State University of Milan, and supervises several Master’s programmes for in-house lawyers at the “Catholic University of the Sacred Heart” in Milan.
He advises Italian and international companies, particularly in the food, catering, cleaning and general services industries, on contractual, employment and criminal law matters. He also acts in relation to mergers and acquisitions, public procurement, administrative litigation and proceedings before ANAC (the National Anti-Corruption Authority) and AGCOM (the Communications Regulatory Authority).
Andrea Vitale is a managing partner at Studio Legale Vitale in Milan. His expertise enables SophiaLex to coordinate, where necessary, cases involving Italian law and proceedings before Italian authorities or courts.